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Stoke City head to league leaders Manchester City tomorrow for their fourth fixture against one of the so-called big six inside their first eight games of the 2017/18 campaign.

Chairman Peter Coates says the task awaiting Stoke in such games, and their achievement when they win or draw, should never be under-estimated.

“We must get real, they are bonus points,” he argued. “When you are playing these top clubs, you are not just playing the top teams in the Premier League, but the top teams in the world.

“Along with the other top-six clubs in this country, you are talking about six of the best 15 teams in the world.

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates.(Image: Steve Bould)

“What we want to do is give them a good game and very often we have done just that.

“To take four points this season off three of our top teams (Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea) is no mean achievement and we all know how unfortunate we were with injuries before we had even played Chelsea.”

Not that the chairman is down-playing the task against so-called lesser clubs in the Premier League.